xiii, 265 pages : 24 cm

"From its beginning in 1789 to the Reign of Terror in 1793-94, and through the ups and downs of the Directory era that followed, the [French] Revolution showed humanity at its optimistic best and its violent worst; it transformed the lives of all who experienced it. The French Revolution: Faith, Desire, and Politics offers a fresh treatment of this perennially popular and hugely significant topic, introducing a bold interpretation of the Revolution that highlights the key role that religion and sexuality played in determining the shape of the Revolution. These were issues that occupied the minds and helped shape the actions of women and men; from the pornographic pamphlets about queen Marie-Antoinette to the puritanical morality of revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre, from the revolutionary catechisms that children learned and to the anathemas hurled on the Revolution from clandestine priests in the countryside. The people who lived through the French Revolution were surrounded by messages about gender, sex, religion and faith, concerns which did not exist outside of the events of the Revolution."--Publisher's description

Religious culture, popular culture : life in old regime France -- The liberal revolution of 1789 (spring 1789-spring 1790) -- The civil constitution of the clergy (summer 1790-winter 1791) -- The king's flight and the decline of the French monarchy (summer 1791-summer 1792) -- The end of the monarchy and the September massacres (summer 1792-fall 1792) -- The new French republic and its rivalries (fall 1792-summer 1793) -- The federalist revolt, the Vendée, and the start of the terror (summer 1793-fall 1793) -- The Reign of Terror (fall 1793-summer 1794) -- After the Terror (fall 1794-1799)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-257) and index

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